By Marc Heller
In many ways, redistricting is a state capital story, since state legislatures draw the districts. That can lead to some conflict or cooperation with your paper's state legislative reporters, but there are still plenty of angles to think about from the nation's capital.
Number one for my New York newspaper is the effect of losing two districts in the state.
Rep. Amo Houghton (R-NY) summed up the pain of redistricting recently when he told Roll Call "I realize that two (representatives) are going to have to take a bath, but I just don't want to be one of them. I'm clean enough already."
If your state is like New York, different regions have distinct cultures or characteristics != rural or urban, black or white, rich or poor. Lawmakers get very nervous when the constituency they're accustomed to is about to change, so they'll often argue that redistricting could ruin their region's identity.
In Northern New York, for instance, we have one of the biggest congressional districts in the nation, and it's just about all rural and Republican. With Vermont on one side, Canada on another and Lake Ontario on another, our congressman is boxed in != the only way his district can get the necessary territory is to expand to the south into suburban or urban areas more likely to lean Democratic. That's not a strong incentive to run for re-election.
Unfortunately for members of Congress, preserving a region's identity is not the big factor in drawing new districts. It's politics. Redistricting commissions try to protect incumbents. But what if they have to choose between incumbents? The incumbents with
the best ties to the state capital have the best shot at keeping their districts relatively intact.
Look for who contributes the most money to state political committees. Does your lawmaker keep regular contacts in the state capital? Did he or she serve in the state legislature before coming to Congress? How closely is your governor involved in the process, and which members of Congress from the state are closest to him or her?
Longevity in Congress isn't necessarily the determining factor. In New York, Rep. John E. Sweeney, R, is a second-termer. But he's a product of the Albany GOP machine, and the common view is he'll get favorable treatment. In New York, Rep. Houghton was quite obvious about the subject. He campaigned in 2000 on a pledge to save his rural district and contributed to GOP candidates for the state Senate, the Republican-controlled chamber that has the real power over reapportionment.
So far, the Census Bureau has only released state population totals. County-by-county figures will be ready in March. But I've already done a few stories about the possible election maps in New York, using the Census Bureau's population estimates from 1999. If you figure out how many more or fewer residents your lawmakers will need in their districts, you can use those estimates to get an idea how the lines might change. It's simplistic but illustrates the challenge for mapmakers.
There are broader Washington angles, too. If your paper or papers are in Texas, you've got a good story about that state's increased influence in Congress. Texas gains two seats. Other southern and western states are gaining, as well. If you're from the Northeast, look for a little less clout after the next House election. Pennsylvania, like New York, loses two seats. Will close votes on issues dear to that region -- dairy compacts, acid rain and so forth -- now tip to region's disfavor?
Time will tell.
By Lisa Friedman
So many new scandals to uncover.
That's the way Sheila Tate, the elder George Bush
Outlining the challenges of being on the inside of a presidential transition and covering it from the outside, the panelists said the coming months promise to be awash in stories for regional reporters.
"The first day that I walked into the chief of staff office, all the photos were removed, all the files were removed," McLarty recalled.
"It's very odd to walk into the White House and not have a scrap of paper," added Tate.
Over the coming months, the Bush Administration will be making 7,300 political appointments, about 1,100 of which require Senate confirmation, McLarty said.
Any of those could result in juicy stories for regionals, Kiely said, advising reporters to keep abreast of potential hometown nominees by staying in regular contact with your congressional delegation.
Tate said the new White House will undoubtedly do what every Administration does != leak names of potential nominees. Every press secretary grouses about how the media floats candidates names too early but the reality, she said, is that the White House counts on name leaks as a back-up vetting process.
"You will get feedback. You will hear about problems you might not have heard about on your own," she acknowledged.
She sympathized with regional reporters who, unlike national reporters "weren
And from news about the family pets to Laura Bush
"The history of the inaugural is replete with a lot of great small stories," said Tate.
Here are some of their suggestions:
"By working smart you can get some great stories," Kiely said. And, she urged, lose the cynicism. "Don't lose sight of the fact that this is an extraordinary moment for a lot of people," she said.
"The wonderful thing about covering Congress is that it's the last real place in Washington where you can walk up to the people you cover and question them directly," said Povich.
Some of their tips:
House: members, committees, floor schedule, etc. www.house.gov
House Press Gallery: Excellent info about Congress; party breakdown, salaries, caucuses www.house.gov/daily/hpg.htm
Current House Floor Action: clerkweb.house.gov/floor/current.htm
Republican press releases: Individual members' releases www.gop.gov
House calendar:
Majority Whip's Office www.majoritywhip.house.gov/calendar.asp
Senate: members, committees, floor schedule, etc. www.senate.gov
Senate Press Gallery: Credentials, roll calls, press secretaries www.senate.gov/galleries
Republican Policy Committee: Legislative notices and GOP policy papers www.senate.gov/~rpc/
Democratic Policy Committee: Legislative notices and Democratic policy papers
www.senate.gov/~dpc/
Senate Republican Conference: Spin central for GOP Senate issues www.senate.gov/~src
Joint Committee on Taxation: Fiscal impact of budget, tax and spending bills. www.house.gov/jct/
Congressional Research Service: Non-partisan Library of Congress issue analyses (Reports provided by the National Council for Science and the Environment)
www.cnie.org/nle/crs_main.html
General Accounting Office: GAO reports; subscribe to daily e-mail alerts www.gao.gov
Congressional Budget Office: CBO reports www.cbo.gov
Compiled by Larry Lipman/ Palm Beach Post/Cox Newspapers
By Bill Hillburg
Doyle strongly advised gaining familiarity with the stacks and files at the Library of Congress and the National Archives outlets in College Park and Silver Spring. In his career, Doyle has turned up valuable background on child farm labor hearings dating
from the 1920s and battlefield records that debunked a Californian's claims of glory.
Doyle also suggested there are story ideas aplenty at the Court of Federal Claims. It has documents on citizens' claims against the federal government, both valid and hare-brained. And, once a news luminary has gone to the land of the dearly departed
and libel-free, he suggested filing a Freedom of Information Act request with the FBI for what could prove to be an entertaining file.
Smith said she has found success by taking on the attitude of a foreigner (Hoosier) in a strange land. In an admission that could depress would-be Watergate-style sleuths, Smith revealed that one of her best-loved dispatches from D.C. was a detailed report on how a family of four could spend a 3 days touring the Nation's Capital for under $500.
Smith also tipped that the Archives is equipped with historical photos on thousands of topics to illustrate stories for graphics-obsessed editors back in the newsroom. She also urged reporters to keep an eye out for offbeat topics like the cutthroat competitions to draw the winning fowl for the federal duck stamp.
Lee Davidson offered his "Lazy Man's Guide to Investigative Reporting," which consists of extracting juicy story leads and facts via FOIAs and other sources. Artful digging has allowed Davidson to let his readers in on such unreported outrages as nerve gas testing in Utah during World War II. Records also showed the lethal agents were to be used on the Japanese if the atomic bomb failed to do the trick.
His favorite ploy is making FOIA requests "from top to bottom" when targeting a potential story. When Davidson dug into the doings at an Air Force Base in Utah, he filed identical requests with the Pentagon, several Air Force command levels and the base's on-site brass. He noted that all respondents redacted the sets of documents he was given, but that each took a slightly different approach toward official secrecy. Davidson was able to piece together the resulting jigsaw puzzle and get all of the facts.
Davidson also suggested requesting and combing alumni lists from college back home to compile lists of potential localizing sources who have made good != or bad != in Washington.
By Angela Greiling
Both hammered home the message that reporters need not be afraid of asking questions. That mantra applies, they said, regardless of whether the reporter is asking the same question for the umpteenth time or whether the question may appear stupid or simple to others.
Von Drehle said an interview about gathering information rather than quotes. Leaving an interview with one or two dynamite quotes is all that is needed, he said.
Among his other tips:
Regarding the interview itself, Rosen suggested flattering hard-to-draw-out interview subjects. Von Drehle said he would ask similar subjects leading questions that could not be answered with "yes/no" replies.
The bottom line, they agreed, is to be a confident interviewer who is not afraid to ask any question to any person.
By Jennifer Sergent
Great profiles might be easy to read, but writing them is hard work, Henneberger said. And while it doesn't necessarily matter how many people you talk to for a profile, you must keep finding people until they seem to say the same thing over and over again about your subject.
Keep in mind that it's a big responsibility, parachuting into someone's life and trying to make sense of it in one piece of writing, Dunkel said.
He calls it the "dickhead responsibility," after a profile he wrote on former Redskins coach Norv Turner. Turner turned to Dunkel at one point and said, "you're not going to make me look like a dickhead, are you?"
The point: don't take things out of context.
Both writers told reporters at the writing conference hosted by the Regional Reporters Association and the National Press Club that reporting for an effective profile means getting the subject in as many different situations as possible, to see different sides of their personality. They're probably more relaxed at home than in the office, for example.
Here are some tips from Melinda and Tom:
By Ken Maguire
Fortunately, www.fec.gov, www.opensecrets.org and www.fecinfo.com does all that work for you. The sites are vital resources for anyone tracking money in politics, according to veteran reporters and founders of the sites who spoke at a recent journalism conference.
Reporters are free to use information from the sites, as long as they give credit.
Associated Press reporter Jonathan D. Salant said the sites allow him to research a wide variety of money stories. For example, year-end campaign contribution reports are due Jan. 31, and stories await, like who has been raising money since Election Day? And who is in debt?
Orlando Sentinel reporter Tammy Lytle said she once wrote a story about a wealthy lawmaker who paid himself back on a campaign loan before paying back the "little guys," such as photographers and others. She quoted them for the story.
Kent Cooper, who started fecinfo.com two years ago, said there are lots of stories regarding "soft money," which is unlimited.
Many politicians have their own political action committees that raise soft money. Cooper, who worked for the Federal Election Commission for 22 years, said it's worth knowing exactly who is raising the money - is it the politician or a lobbyist? "Find out the people factor in the movement of soft money," he said.
Tips from Associated Press reporter Jonathan D. Salant. Ten Things to Look For on Jan. 31:
By John Aubuchon
Roy Peter Clark, founding director of the National Writers
Writing for information, Clark said, requires a set of tools designed to make things clear. His key tools here are:
Writing for experience is how Clark described stories designed to put a reader into an event, whether it
Here, Clark said, is where one wants scenic construction, details that reveal character and personality, and reality rendered from several points of view. Consider it a true story, Clark suggested, with characters, action, setting, chronology, motive and narrative.
Deadline writing offers specific challenges, and Clark offered a specific flow or process to meet them.
First, he advised, search for the main idea or ideas of the story. Then collect the information (e.g., attend the hearing or presser). Determine the focus. Select the key points and detail, and order them. Then draft, revise and clarify. The key, he said, is focus, and "on deadline, you need to find your focus while you
By Carl Weiser
She advised figuring out which congressional committees have jurisdiction over that agency, and finding the agency watchdogs, both official (Inspector General; General Accounting Office) and unofficial (think tanks, interest groups).
It's also important to keep track of the Secretary's schedule and whereabouts. And, just for fun, McQueen suggested, run his or her name through court database searches.
Bloomberg News transportation writer Ripley Watson stressed accuracy, for your own credibility and self-esteem. Read the trade journals and talk to lobbyists. Do offbeat stories, as Watson did when he found salad oil had been designated a hazardous material.
Watson reminded reporters to call and say "thank you" to helpful sources, and also to send your clips to sources to show you are important.
For White House coverage, Business Week correspondent Rick Dunham said the best advice for regionals is to show up. As often as you can. Get your face there. Hit the policy briefings.
Unlike congressional reporters, Dunham said, the White House press corps is cliquish and distant. That's partly because actual information is so rare and valuable. Regional reporters should get to know the regional press officers, meeting with them face to face whenever possible, he said.
By Carl Weiser
It
The new year has barely begun, and already the RRA has held two of its most successful events in its history.
Susan Roth of Gannett News Service organized a Jan. 4 briefing on the transition that not only drew three fine speakers and 40 reporters, but was broadcasted and aired repeatedly on C-SPAN. We are waiting for the latest Neilson ratings, but we think the RRA event may have beaten the Golf Channel during the 3 a.m. Sunday morning time slot.
The Oakland Tribune's Lisa Friedman and the National Press Club's Jonathan Salant put on an all-day reporting seminar Jan. 5 that drew 75 reporters to hear ten panels full of extraordinary talent and knowledge, from political columnist Jack Germond to Washington Post reporter David Von Drehle.
While not all those attending were regionals, it was probably one of our best-attended events. In both cases, the National Press Club's assistance was vital. The club's efforts to reach out to the RRA has certainly proved fruitful.
Next month brings the Casey Journalism Center's seminar on covering children and family issues. That should be excellent too.
I'm working on a couple other efforts to help RRA members and the RRA's presence itself. One is a letter to George W. Bush's Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, asking for a newsmaker event with Bush, or, if that's not possible, Fleischer himself.
I was surprised to learn at the Friday journalism conference that George Bush (the dad) had met with RRA members. I've only been a reporter in Washington for the Bill Clinton era, and I know that RRA's repeated efforts to bring in President Clinton or his press secretaries were in vain.
We will also try to hold newsmakers with as many cabinet secretaries as we can.
I hope all of this makes your RRA memberships worthwhile. Which reminds me, of course: Your 2001 RRA dues are due, Like the ads for Hair Cuttery say: Still only $20.
You can send the dues to the RRA's address:
or directly to me at Gannett News Service, 1000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, 22229. If you need a receipt, I'll send you one.
As always, let me know of any concerns or ideas you have for the Regional Reporters Association. I can always be reached at cweiser@gns.gannett.com
The Real Woodrow Wilson
Images From the Past $19.50 By Lisa Friedman
The regional reporter for Gannett News Service recently published his first book, "The Real Woodrow Wilson." It's based on interviews he conducted more than seven years ago.
Back then Carroll, a presidential historian buff, was Washington correspondent for the Long Beach Press Telegram and wrote occasional Sunday magazine pieces for the Philadelphia Inquirer. When he learned in 1993 that Wilson historian Arthur Link
was publishing the last of a series of papers he had worked on over the course of three decades, Carroll knew he wanted to capture the man's career.
As it turned out, an afternoon of interviews in Link's North Carolina home filled Carroll's tape recorder with more information than he could use.
"You're sitting here talking to a historian who spent his whole life with Woodrow Wilson. Doing a feature story you can only use so much of an interview, and a story can really only be so long. But I thought this was such a fascinating conversation, I'd
really like to preserve it in some way," he said.
Preserve it he did. But even as Carroll periodically toyed with the idea of doing something with his notes, he became wrapped up in other stories and assignments. The tapes sat largely untouched. Until last year, when he picked them up again and talked to the Woodrow Wilson House about the possibility of doing a project with them. They referred Carroll to a publisher in Vermont and the rest, as they say, is history.
"It's the classic case of never throwing anything out. Save your notes, save your tapes, and cast a wide net for stories," Carroll said. "The idea of doing a book for anybody that is already doing daily journalism is daunting. When the hell are you going to find the time? But," he said, "we're telling stories already."
Confused about how to cover the massive budget that comes out in February?
Get tips from the experts on how to interpret the numbers at RRA's annual budget workshop at the National Press Club on Jan. 29.
WHEN: Monday, Jan. 29 WHERE: National Press Club TIME: 9-11 a.m.
The panel will include:
Ron Hutcheson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has left that job to join the Knight-Ridder national staff. At Knight-Ridder, he's covering government and politics.
Bill Straub, formerly the Cincinnati and Kentucky Post reporter, has switched beats at Scripps Howard News Service. He is now covering politics and the White House. He's been replaced by Michael Collins, formerly of the Kentucky Post's Frankfort Bureau.
Also at Scripps Howard, M.E. Sprengelmeyer has become the new reporter for the Denver Rocky Mountain News. He replaces Mike Romano, who took a job in Chicago.
Brett Davis, the D.C. correspondent for the Huntsville Times at Newhouse News Service, has left that job to become managing editor of Aerospace Daily.
Paul Krawzak, formerly a reporter in the CNS Chicago bureau, has joined the Washington bureau as regional correspondent for Copley News Service
Toby Eckert, formerly a correspondent for Copley's Illinois papers, has switched to the California regional beat, providing coverage for The San Diego Union-Tribune and Torrance Daily Breeze.
Dori Meinert remains on the Illinois regional beat, writing for the Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal-Register, Galesburg Register-Mail and Lincoln Courier.
Got news? call Jessica Wehrman at (202)408-2705 or send it to wehrmanj@shns.com
Watertown Daily Times
Moving in: Bush Sr., Clinton insiders recount transition tales
Oakland Tribune
Covering inaugural ceremonies
The nuts and bolts of inaugural coverage from USA TODAY reporter Kathy Kiely:
Basics of covering Capitol Hill
Larry Lipman of the Cox Newspapers and Elaine Povich of Newsday discussed the critical basics of covering Capitol Hill.
The Virtual Congress
Thomas: House and Senate bill texts, summaries, Congressional Record (searchable by word) www.thomas.loc.gov
Getting off the Hill
Los Angeles Newspaper Group
Interviewing 101: Asking the right questions at the right time
Small Newspaper Group
What makes the perfect profile? Digging, digging, digging
Scripps Howard News Service
Following the money
Lowell Daily Sun
The essentials in a writing toolbox
Newsnight Maryland
Figuring out the federal agencies
Gannett News Service
President's Report
2037 National Press Building
Washington, D.C. 20045
RRA member turns old notes from article into new book
An Interview with Arthur S. Link, Editor of the Wilson Papers
By James Robert Carroll
Oakland Tribune
ANNUAL BUDGET WORKSHOP
RESTIVE REGIONS
Catalina Camia is taking a one-year leave of absence from the Dallas Morning News to work as a diversity fellow at the Freedom Forum. She will be replaced by Christopher Lee during that time.
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